Building Codes: The Unsung Heroes of Disaster Mitigation

The Importance of Building Codes in Disaster Mitigation

Building codes play a crucial role in disaster mitigation, helping families, communities, and businesses recover from natural and man-made catastrophes. The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) 'Rating the States' report is a valuable resource for comparing the quality of these codes and states' enforcement of them.

State Performance in Building Code Enforcement

The 2021 'Rating the States' report evaluated 18 states along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, all vulnerable to catastrophic hurricanes, based on building code adoption, enforcement, and contractor licensing. No state achieved a perfect rating on the IBHS 100-point scale, but several states received high scores, including Florida (95 points), Virginia (94 points), South Carolina (92 points), and New Jersey (90 points).

The Broader Impact of Strong Building Codes

Benefits of strong, uniform, well-enforced statewide codes are diverse and include giving residents a sense of security, preserving economic resources, protecting first responders, incorporating new best practices, and reducing solid waste. The 2021 edition also includes information from the nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) to support consumer awareness and response to local building codes in their area. Inspect2Protect.org offers a free building code look-up tool available to all homeowners.

For residents in hurricane-prone states, understanding and adhering to local building codes can significantly reduce the impact of natural disasters. It is recommended to use resources like Inspect2Protect.org to stay informed and take proactive measures to ensure the safety and resilience of your home.